COPENHAGEN, Denmark – August 22, 2025 – STORMBORN, a Danish maritime technology company developing autonomous surface vessels for defence and commercial applications, has secured strategic investment from Semco Maritime and Final Frontier, the Nordic space and defence VC fund backed by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The funding will accelerate production of STORMBORN's X-WAVE USV demonstrator and advance development of the company's STORMCLOUD control system and SEAFENCE operational concept.

"This investment enables construction of our X-WAVE USV platform, our StormCloud control system and accelerates the development of our SEAFENCE concept, along with trusted industry partners," said Frederik Søndergaard Hansen, CEO and Co-Founder of STORMBORN. "With a strong focus on commercial-scale production, cost-effective operations and high payload capabilities, STORMBORN is positioned to be a game changer for continuous maritime surveillance, protection of critical infrastructure, and civil offshore surveys – delivering true dual-use capabilities."

Dual-Use Technology for Growing defence and Commercial Markets

STORMBORN has developed two operational concepts that differentiate its approach to autonomous maritime operations:

SEAFENCE provides continuous maritime domain awareness for defence applications, addressing NATO's priority framework for protecting Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI). With over 15,000 km of high-voltage cables, 100,000 km of data cables, and 110,000 km of pipelines in the Baltic and North Sea, European waters face growing monitoring requirements amid hybrid threats. Denmark has recently prioritised CUI protection as part of a 4 billion DKK naval modernisation program, signalling the strategic importance of persistent surveillance capabilities.

Resident-on-Site Survey introduces a new operational model for commercial offshore work, enabling autonomous vessels to remain stationed at offshore sites rather than requiring repeated mobilisations. The approach is designed to increase efficiency for offshore wind and oil & gas survey operations while reducing environmental impact.

The company's patent-pending X-WAVE platform features an innovative S-BOW hull design and autonomous anchoring system, purpose-built for extended operations in harsh offshore conditions with design specifications for water depths exceeding 150m.

"Autonomous maritime drones like STORMBORN's X-WAVE USV are essential for efficiently monitoring civilian critical infrastructure, the maritime environment and for naval defence," said Niels Vejrup Carlsen, Founding Partner at Final Frontier. "STORMBORN's solution is capable and flexible enough to support rapidly evolving sensor technologies. The team and the product have the European and global potential that Final Frontier looks for. We are proud to be part of the journey."

Industrial Partnership for Scale Production

Semco Maritime's investment creates a strategic partnership to bring STORMBORN's technology to market through Danish production capabilities.

"We are impressed with STORMBORN’s team and technology, and we look forward to deploying our offshore experience and production capacity to contribute to Danish scale production of X-WAVE USVs," said Steen Brødbæk, CEO of Semco Maritime.

The partnership will leverage Semco Maritime's offshore engineering expertise and production facilities to scale manufacturing of the X-WAVE platform with plans to establish commercial operations in key offshore wind clusters on the UK East Coast.

About STORMBORN

STORMBORN was founded by Frederik Søndergaard Hansen and Simon Hviid, who previously worked together at Ørsted. Frederik co-invented the offshore wind industry's first uncrewed surface vessel programme from concept to scale production and commercial operation. The team now applies this experience to STORMBORN's next-generation platform, incorporating new innovations in hull design, autonomous systems, and operational concepts for both defence and commercial markets.

About Final Frontier

Final Frontier is a Danish venture capital fund investing in European startups specialising in space and defence technologies. Founded in 2024 with €4.5 million in capital under management, the fund focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage investments across the European space and defence value chain. Notable investors include former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who has emphasised that "developing a strong and resilient defence industry requires private capital."

Contact

STORMBORN
Frederik Søndergaard Hansen @ Co-Founder & CEO
fresh@stormborn.ai
www.stormborn.ai

Final Frontier
Martin Majercin @ Founding Member, Platform
media@finalfrontier.vc
www.finalfrontier.vc